Can you use the UK government conversion factors in your software? The licence explained

Yes. The UK government's greenhouse gas conversion factors are published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, which allows commercial use, including in your own software, and adapting the figures. You must include an attribution statement (DESNZ gives none, so use the licence's default: 'Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0') with a link to the licence, and must not suggest the government endorses you. Checked 19 October 2026.

Updated 19 October 2026 by the Carbon Recycling team. Figures use the official UK government conversion factors and are checked against the current gov.uk guidance.

Which licence the factors are under

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) publishes the UK government greenhouse gas conversion factors for company reporting on GOV.UK every June. The 2026 set was published on 11 June 2026. The publication page carries GOV.UK's standard notice: all content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, and is Crown copyright. Neither the page nor the 2026 spreadsheet states anything different, so the factors come under the OGL.

We read the licence text on The National Archives site on 19 October 2026. It is short. What follows is what it means for software, with the licence's own words where they matter.

What the licence lets you do

The licence is "worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive". You are free to:

copy, publish, distribute and transmit the information, so you can load the factors into a database and show them to users;
adapt it, so you can reformat the tables, convert units, and combine the factors with your own calculations;
exploit it commercially and non-commercially, "for example, by combining it with other Information, or by including it in your own product or application".

That last line answers the question most developers ask. A paid app, a SaaS product, an internal tool or an API that uses the factors is allowed. You can charge for your product. You can't stop anyone else using the factors, because the licence is non-exclusive.

What you must do: attribution

Wherever you use the information, you must "acknowledge the source of the Information in your product or application by including or linking to any attribution statement specified by the Information Provider(s) and, where possible, provide a link to this licence".

We checked the DESNZ conversion factors page and the 2026 full set spreadsheet for a specific attribution statement and found none. When the provider gives none, the licence says you must use this one:

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

We add the source, so users know where the figures came from. The line we use is:

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors.

Put it where users of your product will see it: a sources or about page, the footer of a report, or the documentation of an API, with a link to the licence. If you use data from several providers and listing every credit in the product isn't practical, the licence lets you link to a page that holds all of the attribution statements instead. That is what our data sources page does for Carbon Recycling. The condition matters: the licence says that if you fail to comply, your rights under it "will end automatically".

What you must not do

Imply endorsement. The licence gives no right to use the information "in a way that suggests any official status or that the Information Provider and/or Licensor endorse you or your use of the Information". "Uses the UK government conversion factors" is fine. "Government-approved carbon calculator" is not.
Use logos or crests. Departmental logos, crests and the Royal Arms are outside the licence.
Assume it covers everything. The licence also excludes personal data, third-party rights the provider isn't authorised to license, and other rights such as trade marks and patents. If a worksheet credits a figure to someone else, check that source's terms.

No warranty

The information is licensed "as is". DESNZ excludes warranties and liability for errors or omissions, and "does not guarantee the continued supply of the Information". The conversion factors page adds that the factors are designed for company reporting and may be used for other purposes, "but users do so at their own risk".

Corrections do happen. In July 2026 DESNZ republished the 2026 flat file because some values had been shown as 0 instead of blank, affecting well-to-tank factors for some hybrid, CNG and LPG cars and hotel stays in some countries. Software that records which file and factor it used can trace a correction like that; software that doesn't, can't. Our guide to emission factor APIs covers versioning by factor year.

Other datasets have other rules

The OGL is one of the most permissive licences around, but don't assume every carbon dataset works the same way. Ember's electricity data is CC BY 4.0, which also allows commercial use with attribution. NESO's live Carbon Intensity API is free to use, but its terms forbid selling, leasing or sublicensing the API or access to it, so it can be shown inside a product but not sold on. Our data sources page lists the licence for every dataset we use and those we have ruled out. For which year's factors to use, see the 2026 conversion factors guide.

How Carbon Recycling helps

Carbon Recycling uses the DESNZ factors under the OGL, credits them on the data sources page, and never presents them as government endorsement of us. If you'd rather not load and maintain the spreadsheets yourself, the Factor API add-on, coming soon, will put the official UK conversion factors and electricity factors for other countries into your own software through a simple API. To try the factors without writing code, the free kWh to CO2e calculator uses the same 2026 set, and which plan and add-ons you need sets out what each option costs.

Where this fits

Start free: kWh to CO2e calculator
The plan: Starter, £59 + VAT a month. An add-on needs a paid plan underneath. Starter runs your own footprint with the same DESNZ factors, with SECR and Carbon Reduction Plan reports.
The add-on: Factor API, £49 + VAT a month for 10,000 calls, or £199 for 100,000, coming soon. The official UK conversion factors and electricity factors for other countries, in your own software through a simple API.
Also: Accountant portal. For firms advising clients: run carbon reporting for each client from one login, with a dashboard of where each one is up to.

Including VAT at 20%: Starter £70.80 a month; Factor API £58.80 a month for 10,000 calls, or £238.80 for 100,000. Each add-on is its own subscription on top of a paid plan: a 12-month minimum, paid monthly, or yearly upfront for 10 months' price. The 14-day free trial lets you add data and see your reports, but printing, saving and downloading need a paid plan.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the UK government conversion factors in commercial software?

Yes. The DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors are published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence v3.0, which lets you copy, adapt and exploit the information commercially, including in your own product or application. You must credit the source and must not suggest the government endorses you.

What attribution statement do I need?

The DESNZ conversion factors page doesn't give a specific statement, so the licence's default applies: 'Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.' Link to the licence where you can. Naming the source, for example 'Source: DESNZ, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors', makes it clearer.

Can I charge for software that uses the factors?

Yes. The licence is royalty-free and allows commercial exploitation, so you can charge for your product or service. What you can't do is claim exclusive rights over the factors themselves: the licence is non-exclusive, so anyone else can use them too.

Can I say my figures are 'government approved'?

No. The licence gives no right to use the information in a way that suggests official status or that the government endorses you or your use. Say you use the UK government conversion factors; don't say the government approves your product. Don't use departmental logos or the Royal Arms either.

Is DESNZ responsible if a factor is wrong?

No. The information is licensed 'as is'. The licence excludes warranties and liability for errors or omissions, and says the provider does not guarantee continued supply. Your software should record which year's set and which factor it used, so a correction can be traced.

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